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Broken Windows, Broken Business: How the Smallest Remedies Reap the Biggest Rewards
written by Michael Levine
Studio : Business Plus
by Business Plus
Publisher : Business Plus
Released : 2005-11-09
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9780446576789
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 13 reviews)
List Price : $21.95
Our Price : $6.95
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Product Description |
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Social psychologists and law enforcement officials agree: if a window in a building is broken and left in its ruined state, the rest of the windows will soon be shattered, and the neighbourhood will subsequently go downhill. According to business author Michael Levine, this same notion can be applied to the world of business. In "Broken Windows, Broken Business", Levine guides readers through his premise that all big dilemmas in business stem from lack of attention to small details. Using dozens of corporate "broken window" case studies, including McDonald's, K-Mart, Google, JetBlue, and more, he argues that by integrating the solutions to small problems into a much larger plan, the resulting combined solution can stimulate overall business growth-and keep customers coming back for more. |
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Single insight, otherwise whiny |
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The author has an important insight that customers judge businesses by the small details that sometimes go awry and that negative impressions can overwhelm positives. But there are few new ideas about service quality in this tedious work. The author vents about McDonald's for its product offering and service, yet the fast food giant keeps rocking along and earns record profits. We should all be so awful. |
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Plodding and Poorly Constructed |
The theory Levine espouses in the book may have merit, but his case studies as well as his overall tone are at best tedious-- at worst pedantic and over simplistic.
There are many more better books to read with related subject matter, like "The Tipping Point" |
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not much value |
This is a very simplistic book and reading it provided me with no knowledge that I didn't already have. The author could get across every point in the entire book in a five page summary. He starts by telling us about the broken window theory put forth in 1982 and illustrated a few examples of how it lead to lower crime. He references both the original Atlantic Monthly article, as well as "The Tipping Point" (which I highly recommend), and some other texts and speeches that are written much better than his book and that actually contain original and interesting information.
The author explains in very simple language how this theory can be applied to business. Essentially the entire book says that "broken windows" in business are the little things that go wrong, and how a business can't afford to let this happen. He spends almost half of the book talking about how "people can be the ultimate broken window" and how customer service is one of the most important aspects of your business. These concepts are so simple, that they are basically just reiterations of common business sense.
This book does not probe deeply, nor does it even come close to actually delivering any insight or analysis beyond the most superficial. While his case studies are potentially interesting, he doesn't spend more than two pages on any given one.
This book is only worth reading if you want some simple concepts and rules that you already know listed in a convenient format. Personally, I found that buying and reading this book was a waste of time. There are plenty of other books about business that contain information and insights that you don't already know. |
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A Reinforcement of Good Logic |
This book reinforces some solid business concepts which you probably have read or heard about previously. The basic logic is that little things count and is best summed up in an old rhyme or proverb
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
The title and the logic is borrowed from an article published by criminologists George L. Kelling and James Q. Wilson in the Atlantic Journal, March 1982 (http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/prem/198203/broken-windows). Malcolm Gladwell addressed this concept very cogently and interestingly in his best seller - The Tipping Point. (Now that IS a five star book).
Levine references a large number of corporations to illustrate the impact or fixing / not fixing broken windows. Although the publication date suggests November 2005, this book must have gone to press a long time prior to that. He castigates McDonald's for failure to implement the basics and states if Ray Kroc were to return today, he would die of embarrassment. That might have been accurate three years ago but not today. Indeed, the hamburger giant is now a poster child for the author's argument. It has made a dramatic effort to fix its broken windows including better food quality (quality is relative folks), much cleaner, fresher restaurants and a determined effort to make customers more welcome. It is because McDonald's has fixed many of its broken windows that it can now present consistent and substantial same store sales growth for the past three years. So McDonald's truly does prove his point, but this change was pretty obvious for at least two years prior to publication date.
The best chapter in the book is probably the one on Obsession and Compulsion. The author's view is that successful CEO's display an almost obsessive compulsive disorder in ensuring that basics are implemented, that staff is trained well and service is the "absolute center of broken windows for business". He cites Starbucks' Howard Schultz and George Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees as obsessive, compulsive examples in their business dealings.
Behavior change does not happen overnight. It is a long slow process which requires constant reinforcement, which is why this book may be worth reading. If you and your colleagues are avid students of customer service and getting it right first time, (in other words have read a lot of good books on the topic) this book will add one more impression to help you believe that the basics do count and that broken windows do lead to broken business.
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If its broken fix or it will get much worse |
The basic premise of this book is built on a 1982 paper by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling entitled "Broken Windows" in the Atlantic Monthly magazine. The articles explains that by rigorously addressing seemingly insignificant crimes (fair jumping, graffiti, jay walking, and vandalism) that there could be an actually decrease the level of serious crimes. This thinking was rather famously applied in New York City's Mayor Rudolf Giuliani. It cut the number of murders in New York by 1/2. Levin comments that the original paper pointed out the if broken windows were replaced and graffiti removed the overall feeling was people cared and if minor crimes were not tolerated the overall feeling of that strong law enforcement existed. The paper also pointed out if pane of glass was broken it was not long until the entire windows (all the panes) were broken. Levin applies this thinking to business (thus the title). If a pane in a window is broken (bad customer experience is tolerated) that additional panes will be broken (more bad customer service) until the entire window is broken and quite possible the entire business ceases operation. Levine explores the concept of broken windows in business from multiple angles, while looking at example of several business in multiple industries. |
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